Foster Care and Adoption in Kentucky
Adopt a Child from Kentucky Foster Care
Infant adoption in Kentucky is one of the wonderful ways you can grow your family. But it isn't the only way. Foster care and foster care adoption are options for you. So, what's the difference between infant adoption and foster care adoption?
Contact an adoption specialist today to get the answers you need, or continue reading below to learn more about foster care adoption in Kentucky,
Kentucky has more than 8,000 children in foster care. These children are of all different races, ethnic groups and genders. But 24 percent of these children are between 6 and 12 years old, and many have siblings that they wish to remain with.
Although the primary goal of 47.4 percent of children in Kentucky foster care is reunification with biological family, that still leaves many children who will become eligible for adoption from foster care.
While American Adoptions specializes in the adoption of newborns and is unable to provide Kentucky foster care adoption services, foster care is a great way to grow your family. The following information can help you learn more about foster care adoption in Kentucky, and whether or not it’s the right path for your family.
Options for Becoming a Foster Parent in KY
You can be involved in foster care as a parent in different ways, either by providing temporary care for a child, or by providing a permanent family. Here are the three different ways you can be a foster parent:
1. Foster Parenting
Becoming a foster parent in Kentucky means you provide children with a temporary safe and loving home while they await permanent placement. These children will either be reunited with biological family or adopted.
2. Foster to Adopt in Kentucky
If you’ve been a foster parent and think you might be interested in permanently adopting a child, you can foster to adopt in Kentucky. This allows you to become a foster parent with the potential to adopt a foster child if they become eligible for adoption. Although most Kentucky foster children don’t ever become eligible for adoption, priority is given to their foster parents after their biological family members if they do become eligible.
3. Adopting from Foster Care in Kentucky
You can adopt from foster care in Kentucky without becoming a foster parent first. With this option, you request to match only with children in foster care who are already eligible for adoption in Kentucky, and who are currently waiting to be adopted.
Kentucky Foster Care Adoption Subsidies
Parents who foster or adopt through foster care in Kentucky may qualify for adoption assistance through a state-funded adoption subsidy, but the amount you receive varies depending on the needs of the individual child(ren) you adopt.
Who Can Adopt through Foster Care in Kentucky or Foster to Adopt?
Prospective foster or adoptive parents in Kentucky must be at least 21 years old. Applicants will need to undergo a home study, which includes background checks, home visits, interviews and more.
Prospective foster and adoptive parents must be in good health, be financially stable, complete the required hours of training courses and more.
Additional requirements for foster parents can vary depending on the foster care agency you work with, so contact your foster care professional to learn how to become a foster parent according to their own set of requirements.
Who Can Be Adopted from Foster Care?
The parental rights of a child’s biological parents must be terminated before he or she can be eligible for a Kentucky foster care adoption. Parental rights can be terminated voluntarily, or they can be terminated involuntarily by the court if the parent is unable to meet custody requirements and if the court feels that this action is in the child’s best interest.
Children living in Kentucky foster care “age out” when they turn 18, but parents who fostered these children may adopt them through an adult adoption.
Kentucky Foster Care Adoption Agencies and Additional Resources
To learn more about foster care and adoption in Kentucky, check out the following Kentucky foster care adoption agencies and Kentucky adoption photolisting sites:
You’ll need to finalize your adoption from the Kentucky foster care system in your local circuit court.
For additional foster care resources, contact your Kentucky foster care agency to learn about training courses, legal representation and more.
Disclaimer
Information available through these links is the sole property of the companies and organizations listed therein. American Adoptions provides this information as a courtesy and is in no way responsible for its content or accuracy.